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It was almost three years ago and my wife and I had just brought or new baby boy, Brady, home from the hospital. As all of you parents out there know, bringing a new baby home is a time of elation, anxiety and exhaustion!

In the middle of the night on his third day at home my wife had just finished feeding him and laid him between us in bed.

I rolled over awkwardly to grab the baby and felt something “pop”. An immediate sensation of firey pain shot down from the middle of my waist to my ankle. I didn’t know it at the time, but the pain was going to escalate to an unbearable level over the next several months.

As luck would have it, one of my closest friends is a back surgeon here in Prescott. The next day I was laying flat on my back in an MRI machine.

The results came back and were not good. The MRI revealed a massive herniation of my disc at L5/S1, probably as a result of continuous collisions that I took during my college football days.

Attempting to avoid surgery, I tried chiropractic, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture and cortisone shots. Not only were these modalities not working, the pain was getting worse with each passing day. As the weeks passed, I could no longer drive myself to work, and I was only getting a few restless hours of sleep each night.

Since I could no longer sit in the operator’s stool, I was forced to practice dentistry standing up and in a great deal of pain. The practices and my dental income took a big hit as I shortened my hours.

I called my insurance carrier and found out that my disability insurance wouldn’t kick in until I was working for less than twenty percent of my normal schedule for three consecutive months. My agent told me that I basically had to completely stop working for three months before the insurance company would pay a dime.

About the time all of this was happening, I had a new dental assistant school session starting. I usually save the majority of the money that we generate from the school to fund my retirement accounts and the college funds for my kids, but in this case, we used the income from the school to pay for our monthly bills.

The day of surgery finally came after almost four months of non-stop pain. It was a comfort that one of my best friends was performing the surgery. I prepared myself for the possibility that my dental career might be over if the nerve damage was too severe and the surgery was unsuccessful.

The first sensation that I experienced when I awoke following surgery was complete lack of pain. I didn’t want to get too excited because there was still local anesthesia in the area that could have been masking the pain that I felt preoperatively.

As the affects of the anesthesia wore off the pain did not return. I returned to work just four days later.

The income and savings from my dental assisting school supported my entire family until I got back on my feet.

Of all of the trips, material items and extra money that my dental assisting school has allowed me to obtain, none have been more valuable than the peace of mind that my second stream of income provided me and my family during a true time of crisis.

I’ve literally spoken to hundreds of dentists all over the United States since I started selling my dental assisting school curriculum a few years ago. Many of them approach me with a bit of skepticism, some tell me straight up, “This just sounds too good to be true!”

So, let’s take all emotion out of this equation for a second and examine the facts.

Dentists make more money on average than many other professions. However, although we are paid well for what we do, the income stops when we step away from the chair.

Most other “side businesses” require a large investment of cash and time that most dentists do not have.

Your current facility sits empty and generates zero additional income when the dental office is closed.

The current economic situation in this country has resulted in more families requiring a primary or secondary source of income. Many of these families are seeking accelerated training in industries such as dentistry which typically offer good pay, favorable hours and benefits.

Attendance in non-traditional adult education programs such as technical or trade schools has risen steadily over the past three years.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dental Assisting is the third fastest growing occupation for which a college degree isn’t required, and the employment outlook for Dental Assisting is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2016.

100% recovery of the entire investment in this business takes recruitment of only four students.

Just thought you’d like to look over my shoulder and see how we test our students. Prior to starting my own dental assistant school, I interviewed countless dental assisting school graduates for positions within my offices.

Time after time I was baffled at how little these graduates knew about dentistry and dental assisting. I remember interviewing a graduate from one of the national chains who had spent over a year of her life and over $15,000 at this “institute”. This poor girl did not know her teeth numbers, or the difference between a scaler and a high speed.

Well, in thirteen weeks, our graduates run circles around the graduates of these other programs. We utilize hands on practical approach and get the students practicing and getting comfortable with general dentistry procedures from day one.

Check out this video of me giving a practical exam to one of my students.

Just remember, this student had zero experience with dentistry ten weeks prior to this video being taken. She got a job before she even graduated from the class.

All the Best,

Mark Costes, DDS

P.S. Don’t forget to reach out to me on my personal email info@teachdentalassistants.com. We can strategize on how to get your school up and running ASAP. Look forward to hearing from you!!

I’m excited to announce another great session started last week at my school here in Chino Valley.

12 eager new students!

This session has been a bit different for me.

Since Bryce, my eight year old son is playing Minors this year, I’m coaching his baseball team. The only problem is, our games and practices are the same days and times that we hold our dental assisting school classes.

So, even though I usually teach about 45 minutes per week, this session I’m leaving 100% of the teaching duties to two of my chair side assistants.

Can you imagine being able to do ANYTHING in the world that you wanted to do while generating a passive six-figure income?

Totally possible. You deserve to give yourself this gift.

Best,
Mark Costes, DDS

P.S. If you’d like to take the next step and find out whether your territory is still available, simply email and we’ll do a search for you. You can also request a one on one strategy session with me.

One of the most common questions I get asked about owning a Dental Assisting School is: I live in a (big or small) city. Do you think this business will work in my community? The answer is, this business will work in any city, big or small. My Dental Assisting School in Chino Valley, AZ. Chino Valley is a rural community of about 11,000 people. We have one high school, one grocery store and four feed stores! The population of livestock is literally larger than the population of people in this town! From this tiny town, my school consistently gets 9-13 students every three months. At $2,674 per student and 18% overhead, well, you can do the math!

Check out this quick video of my town and facility:

All the Best,

Mark Costes, DDS

P.S. If you haven’t already, email me to set up a free no obligation strategy call to discuss any questions or concerns regarding this epic business. My email is horizondds@yahoo.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

In this video, you’ll see exactly what’s inside the box you’ll receive when you order our Dental Assisting School curriculum. (Click Below to Watch)

Everything you need to get your school up and running quickly is included in our program.

If you choose to, you’ll literally be able to hand this box to your assistant and walk away. Or, if you’re like me and enjoy teaching, you can teach a little bit each week.

Over fifty other dentists from all over the country have chosen our company to help them to generate a huge secondary stream of income AWAY from the dental chair. We hope you’ll join us too!

Your Time is NOW!

Best,
Mark Costes, DDS

P.S. If you’d like to see if your territory is still available, simply email with your address and we’ll check availability. If you’d like to speak to me personally, just let us know and my staff will set up a no obligation strategy call.

In all of the years that I’ve been offering the in-office dental assisting school opportunity to dentists, the most common question that I get is:

“Once I buy your system, how do I get students?”

The answer is simple and elegant but difficult if not impossible to explain in a just a few words…

What I can tell you is that it is a proven and predictable SYSTEM.

In order to fully appreciate the process, its first necessary to explain the difference between “Image Advertising” and “Direct Response Marketing”.

A company’s goal when using image advertising is to expose the consumer to their brand and name with enough repetition that the brand comes to mind when the product or service is needed.

The biggest drawback to using this approach is that it takes a Pepsi Cola sized budget to make it effective. This approach absolutely will not work for a small business and this is the reason why so many small business owners are literally throwing their money away on poorly designed marketing attempts.

Our schools use direct response marketing. Its goal is not to create some slick Madison Avenue image or some clever jingle or tag line. The purpose is to get a response.

There are 4 things that make direct response much different from image advertising:

1. It is Measureable- This is critically important in order to know exactly which ads are effective and making you money versus the ineffective ads that are costing you money without an acceptable return. The savvy marketer will take this information and adjust accordingly.

2. It must have an Offer- This will give the prospects a specific offer that will compel them to leave their contact information in order to receive a free gift or the information that they desire.

3. It must have a Call to Action- This will give the prospect specific instructions on what to do next, in our case, enter their name, address, phone number and email address into our website form or call and leave their contact information on our toll free hotline.

4. It must be Benefit oriented- these types of ads focus on the benefits to the consumer, not the features of the product.

So, the first step in our marketing funnel is LEAD GENERATION. It’s important to remember that the purpose of lead generation isn’t necessarily to make a sale. What is more important is to get them to raise their hand and say,”YES, I MAY be interested dental assisting as a career and I MAY be interested in attending your school.”

Our lead generation methods include direct mail, print ads, radio, press releases, Google ads, and Facebook ads. These ads send the prospects to a toll free number and website which will capture all of their information. Once their information is captured they enter our automatic marketing process. All of these marketing pieces are done for you and need nothing more than to be customized with you school name and contact information.

After the prospect’s information is gathered, they are placed into an automated follow up sequence including emails, follow up letters and post cards.

The prospects are then delivered carefully crafted marketing messages that identify the pain of their current situation (having a dead end job or no job at all), agitate that pain (reminding them that their situation will not change unless they take action), and finally offering a solution to their problem (enrolling in your school to get the training they need to liberate themselves from their current situation.)

And that’s it. Not rocket science, but rather following up and giving them the whole story while overcoming all of their possible objections until they are finally ready to enroll.

I hope this gives you a better idea of the simplicity and effectiveness of our student attraction system.

All the Best,
Mark Costes, DDS

P.S. If you’d like to schedule a no obligation strategy call with me, simply email with your address and we will research whether your territory is still available. Or you can call Siony (pronounced Shawnee) 928-830-4557 to schedule a call.

I know this subject line sounds kind of self-serving but please bear with me. I wanted to tell you briefly about my parents.

For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am a first generation American. In fact, I was the first person in my family to be born in the United States. My dad is a retired electrical engineer, an MBA, and my hero. He has a familiar story. His is a story that so many proud immigrants share. My parents are the type of immigrants who have made this the great country that it is.

In the early 70’s my dad left his entire family, including my mom and my sister in the Philippines and got on a plane for the United States with a borrowed $125 and a suitcase. He was going to build a better life for his family and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.

He lived in a small room with distant relatives until he found a job. Once he had saved up enough money, he sent for my mom and my then nine-month-old sister. My parents both sacrificed more than I could ever imagine, saving for their first modest house in upstate New York.

My father’s job with IBM took us from New York to Colorado to Arizona to California. It was a great childhood. The values of hard work, honesty and family above anything else, molded me into the person that I am today.

When my father and mother finally reached retirement age, they were looking at the prospect of downsizing into a smaller house in order to be able to pay their expenses on a tiny pension and social security. It just didn’t seem right that they’d have to move in to a cramped house that couldn’t even accommodate my mom’s piano.

My parents had struggled, sacrificed and gave me , and my sister everything I ever needed as I was growing up. I was not going to watch them squish into a tiny house during their golden years.

So, last year, I was able to buy them their house. That’s right, I bought my parents house- and they now live without a mortgage or the stress of outliving their money. It was the single proudest day of my life.

My second stream of consistent income from my dental assisting school helped to make this possible. What could you do with an extra six figures per year?

There is something so incredibly satisfying for me when one of my schools reports back with a huge success story.

Check out what Tina Blomstrom from Dr. Michael’s office in Oconomowoc, WI reported to me yesterday…

To Whom it may concern:

I am now in my sixth week of teaching the Horizon School of Dental Assisting curriculum developed by Dr. Mark Costes. The program is rock solid, and practically teaches itself. We were approved December 8, 2011 and started classes on January 7, 2012 with a full class of 12 students. Once we had our school application approved, we were able to begin advertising and marketing our school’s program. Even with only barely a month before we started, and competing with Christmas and New Years, we still opened our doors with a full class of 12 students. I even had to turn 3 people away, as we were full. There is a real niche for this program.

It was a somewhat challenging procedure to get through our Wisconsin State Educational Approval Board’s review process to approve our school application, but Dr. Costes office provided excellent guidance to help us navigate through all the red tape and get the application filled out. It takes some time to get it done, but it is worth the effort.

Dr. Costes has provided DVD’s of himself teaching each lecture. I’ve picked up some really good information to provide as added knowledge during the lectures. The Student Lecture Notes he has developed as part of the course are fabulous, they mirror the Instructor’s notes in an interractive format. The students must really listen and pay attention to the lecture to fill in the key points. The Power Point has those same key points listed so the students get the correct spelling and are able to keep up. I think the students are much more attentive during lecture and learn faster this way.

All of the exams and quizzes for each lecture and lab have already been prepared and written up for you, including the answer keys to all the tests. A syllabus and class schedule are also provided with details on each lecture and lab. There is also a Final Exam already prepared. There are attendance sheets and excell spread sheets to keep track of all the exam/test/quiz grades already developed as well.

We have been able to bring new revenue into our office on days and times the office was previously closed. I was a Dental Hygienist for 27 years, but after neck surgery, was no longer able to perform clinical dental hygiene duties. I really missed dentistry, and this has given me an opportunity to share my knowledge and stay in the profession. With help from the other hygienists and assistants in our office, we are moving easily through the program and having a lot of fun teaching the fundamentals of dentistry to our 12 enthusiastic students.

Several years ago, I had just lost over $20,000 investing in a car wash with a partner. I had built several successful dental practices and was feeling pretty invincible. I was starting to believe that business was easy, and that I was great at it!

So what do you do when you discover you’re great at building and selling dental practices? Buy a carwash, naturally! Being in the carwash business was a very valuable and very expensive lesson. Babysitting minimum wage employees is not the most fun or rewarding experience. Internal theft was a crippling problem and in a struggling economy, a garden hose and a sponge is a much cheaper alternative to an $18 carwash.

So after losing big in the carwash game, I was chatting with my business coach about which new business I could invest in. Fast food? Carpet cleaning franchise? Airport shuttles? Real estate development? That’s when he gave me some of the best advise I have ever been given.

“Always pick the lowest hanging fruit first.”

What he was trying to tell me was that departing from my area of strength had gotten me into trouble and probably would again. So I changed my focus and started looking for businesses that complimented my existing skill set. That’s when I stumbled across the dental assisting school idea, and my life was changed forever.

Without any outside help and ZERO clue as to what I was doing, my dental assisting school profited over $100,000 in its first year. For over four years now, I’ve refined the curriculum and developed predictable and consistent systems for attracting new students and filling classes.

For dentists, owning a dental assisting school is a very low hanging fruit. You don’t need a new location. You don’t need new employees. You don’t need to invest $300,000-$1.5 million in a fast food franchise that will make all of its customers less healthy, and you an overworked stressed out mess!

This is an opportunity to have a legitimate, solid second business that could generate a six figure side income with very little investment in time or money.

Its time to get off the fence and contact me. I’ll answer any questions you may have about this business. Look forward to hearing from you!